Right: OSU’s offensive coordinator and line coach, Jim Bollman, during his playing days at Ashtabula’s Harbor High School in 1973.
Star Beacon Photo

While we have no use for Frank Costanza, his metal pole, or his Festivus holiday, we do have this week’s installment of “Airing of Grievances.” This one has been submitted Foster Marshall of Chicago, Ill.

Please Note: I will do my best to edit this, but bear in mind, I have never spent one day as an English professor. – Matt

Yesterday, I was reading this article over on The O-Zone, and all I can think is, “Are you kidding me!?”

I am so glad I am not a beat reporter in the room asking these questions to the players. After hearing some of these answers, I can just see myself turning redder and redder in the face as I go along asking each follow-up question with an ever-rising tenor in my voice.

“So, this is the first time the O-Line has been yelled at during practice? So, Coach Bollman never yells at you? What does Bollman do?”

Shortly thereafter, gooey cranial fluid and spongy gray matter would be splattered all over the walls and the ceiling, while covering the reporters along with the surprised interviewees.

Being slightly calmer now, let me start by saying that on one hand, I could not be happier reading this article and hearing how Coach Tressel appointed himself as Coach Bollman’s assistant since the
USC disaster. John Porentas’ (editor of The O-Zone) article is superb in describing several of the steps that Tressel is personally taking to get the sum parts of this team fixed.

But the list is long. The Pryor-for-Boeckman exchange, a new face on the O-Line (albeit due to an injury to Steve Rehring), defensive end Cameron Heyward moving to tackle and Thaddeus Gibson now at end, and lots of freshman in the two-deep. (Herron, Sabino, etc.)

Tressel is currently working personally with the offensive line, and with his emotion and intensity on the sidelines during the Troy game, along with his one-on-one attention with players during game, it’s all a response to those fans demanding him do something. As they say, “In Tressel, we trust.”

But seriously, what does it all mean?

What kind of schoolgirl coaching are we getting from Bollman? To hear it from the likes of Jim Cordle and Alex Boone, the offensive line never gets yelled at and has been doing whatever they want.

Since the USC game, Coach Tressel has been joining Coach Bollman in conducting practices for the offensive line.

Boone had this to say:

He’s [Tressel] done it every day. We thought it was going to be a one-shot, one-time deal, but he’s down there all the time. He’s down there yelling at us to move, keep going, finish. It’s a lot better.”

…and Cordle added this nugget of wisdom:

We were kind of like, ‘This is our O-line and we’ve known each other, we can just play the way we want to play. Coach Tress is showing us that ‘No, you’re going to play the way I
want you to play,’ which is nice because that’s how I think a lot of us are. We need to get yelled at to play better.”

What!? Cordle is saying this is “our O-Line” and “we can just play the way we want to?” Are you kidding me? And what’s this about “needing” to get yelled at to play better?

Seriously? Screaming and yelling is going to create the motivation to make you play better? ‘

Personally, I would have thought that some of the “fire” would have been created when the Ohio Bobcats’ defensive line was pushing you guys around. I also thought that there should have been sufficient motivation from the manhandling they received from the USC defensive line and their linebackers.

Finally, where has Tressel been in all this? I know he’s the head coach and all, but this is astonishing.

Three words: Entitled. Soft. Coddled.

Three more words: Fire. Bollman. Now!

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On Tuesday following practice, several of Ohio State’s players were made available to answer questions from the media, and one of them was senior left tackle Alex Boone.

One thing is for sure, Boone is not shy and he will speak his mind when given the opportunity. An Outland Trophy candidate, Boone is projected as a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft next April.

Boone spoke about Ohio State fans booing quarterback Todd Boeckman, and this is what he had to say:

I think one of the most disappointing things, and a lot of guys didn’t want me to say this, but I think I’m going to have to, is the fact he went out there and he did what he could – a lot of the seniors were very upset when he got booed. I think that shows a lot of disrespect from the fans. I think a lot of guys – this kid took us to a championship last year. How could you boo him?”

He didn’t play so great against USC, but who did? None of us did. We all got smashed, and people started booing him and everybody kind of got mad about that. He made the read and he threw the ball and it was a little short and all of a sudden people are starting to scream. And the O line was like maybe we thought somebody hit him or something happened, and then I’m watching the film and people are like, ‘Man, can you believe they booed him?’ That’s not right and I don’t think that’s fair. People should give him another chance. And stand behind your team, you know.”

Personally, I was appalled that Boeckman was booed after he badly short-hopped his intended receiver, Brian Hartline, in the second quarter against Troy for his only passing attempt of the game.

On the next play, Terrelle Pryor came back in and threw a 33-yard pass to Brian Robiskie, only to be nullified on a penalty when Robiskie briefly went out of bounds before catching the ball. Ohio State was then forced to punt, leading 7-3.

But seriously, Ohio State’s offense has sputtered because Boone and the other four offensive linemen on any given play has performed less than favorably.

It’s really hard to pinpoint the problems in the O-line, whether it’s poor technique, not firing off the ball like they should, overall lazy play, or a combination of the three. If this were a test, I would checked the box, “All of the above.”

Yes, Beanie Wells can make a mediocre offensive line looked good because of his burst of speed through the line of scrimmage and his ability to break tackles. You are not going to being him down by arm-tackling, and it almost always take more than one defender to bring him down. That can’t be said for the other three backs.

One thing is for sure, and that’s if the offensive line was playing like they are capable of then Boeckman still might be the starting quarterback. Unfortunately, Boeckman is not real mobile and has a hard time sensing pressure when the pocket collapses. Of course when given time to throw the ball, he does well.

Another problem for Ohio State quarterbacks is that the Buckeyes two main receivers are not speed merchants. According to Rivals.com, Robiskie was clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.52 seconds. Hartline, meanwhile, was timed at even slower 4.59 seconds when both were seniors in high school four years ago.

The offensive line needs to block, the quarterback must read the defense and react, and the receivers need to get open. Those three things have to happen in order to throw the ball downfield.

Surprisingly through four games, Ray Small leads the Buckeyes with 14 receptions, but averages just 6.6 yards per catch, which is not very good when you’re the offense’s main vertical threat. By the way, Small was timed running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash in high school. The problem is, Small has gone through Coach Tressel’s revolving door on the dog house one too many times this season.

Another option Tressel should consider is getting freshman Lamaar “Flash” Thomas more playing time at wide receiver, who’s a burner with 4.4 speed. He’s played in two games and has just one reception so far this season.

The old adage always applies, speed kills. Ohio State has it, but the coaching staff needs to utilize it better on the offensive side of the ball. What may work against Big Ten opponents doesn’t seem to against the big boys out of conference.

Oh, Pryor runs a 4.4 forty, too.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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